Cheap Acoustic and Electric Guitars for Beginners

Finding a good deal on guitars can be a bit of a problem, especially if you’re a beginner and are looking for something cheap for your first electric guitar. When it comes to cheap electric guitars, it’s usually a compromise between something or the other.

While I almost always recommend spending a bit more than a couple of hundred bucks and getting a good, decent instrument for your first axe, the following is a list of some of the cheapest acoustic and electric guitars that money can possibly buy. In addition, I also recommend checking this beginner-friendly guitar-buying guide before picking up any one of the guitars in the list below.

Acoustics:

1. Fender DG-8S

What better than a cheapo, inexpensive, relatively low-priced Fender, right? But what really sets this apart is the fact that the DG-8S comes bundled with a beginner’s package by Fender. It is a solid-top Spruce guitar (you won’t find a lot of solid spruce top guitars in the price range, which makes this bundle all the more impressive), with mahogany back and sides. It has a low action – perfect for beginners who might struggle with finger strength when it comes to high-action guitars. The build quality is top-notch – what you would expect from a Fender instrument. And the bundle comes in at just over $200 and includes a gigbag, DVDs, strings, picks and a strap, which means that it’s a great value for money bundle.

2. Yamaha FG730S

No acoustic guitar list can be complete without a Yamaha, and this one’s no exception! The FG730S comes in at around $300-$450, and while that might be a tad higher than your budget, it is worth every penny of your hard-earned cash, trust me! Yamaha acoustic guitars are almost always very highly rated and usually get rave reviews and this one’s certainly no exception. This solid-top acoustic guitar features a Sitka spruce top, rosewood sides, back and bridge, die-cast tuners, and a beautiful ‘tortoise’ pickguard to name just a few of its features. Moreover, the worksmanship is superb and like many solid spruce-top guitars, it has a great tone. Most people tend to sell and replace their cheap, beginner-level acoustics. However the Yamaha will probably last you a lifetime and it is likely that you’ll stick to it for a long time to come – it’s that good!

3. Epiphone EJ200

My personal favorite of the lot in terms of looks, the EJ200 looks stunning, to say the least! It is one of the best guitars in this price range ($300-$400), and is simply outstanding value for money. One of the most well-known acoustic guitars out there, and known as the ‘king of the flat-tops,’ it has a maple body with a solid spruce top, a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and gold hardware. It has a tobacco sunburst finish with a tortoise-shell style pickguard which gives it a majestic ‘vintage’ look. What makes it ideal for beginners is it’s lower and lighter action and balanced, warm and smooth sound and tone, ideal for general playing. Over the years, it’s been used as the standard guitar of choice by the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Pete Townshend. A great guitar for an amazing price!

Electrics:

1. Epiphone Les Paul Special II

Pick of the guitars on this list, the Les Paul Special II by Epiphone (a company owned by Gibson) is a brilliant electric axe for beginners for several reasons. But perhaps the biggest reason (or reasons) of all would be the fact that this beauty gives you all the features of a full-blown (and expensive) Gibson Les Paul for a fraction of the price! It has a mahogany body, bolt-on mahogany neck, open coil humbuckers, and a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. And the price for all the awesomeness? The Les Paul Special II retails for around $185! For something that gets as close to a proper Gibson Les Paul, that is a pretty good price!

2. Squier Affinity Stratocaster

If the Affinity Strat’s looks don’t blow your mind, its price will! This stunning-looking Strat – produced by Squier, a company owned by Fender – features 3 single-coil pickups , a 5-way pickup selector, 2 tone knobs and 1 volume knobs and a string-through body. Its contoured hardwood body and rosewood fingerboard resemble a Fender Stratocaster. It sounds absolutely fantastic, and is an all-genre, versatile guitar for the beginner electric guitar player, regardless of whether you play rock, country or jazz. The good thing about Squier guitars is that they are very easy to customize and their parts (especially their pickups) can be replaced very easily. The Squier Affinity Stratocasters go for around $140 to $180 a piece.

3. Yamaha Pacifia 112

Rounding off our list of budget electric guitars is the infamous Yamaha Pacifia series, the 112 to be precise. The Pacifia 112 is, once again, an excellent start-off point for new guitarists, or those who might be buying their first electric guitar. The thing that I particularly like about this guitar is that it is just as equally suitable for experienced guitarists, as it is for new ones. It is the best-selling guitar in the Pacifia series, the Pacifia 112 features 21 frets, a 5-position blade, a solid alder body, mable neck, rosewood fingerboard and a strat-style double-cutaway body. This guitar can easily rival much-superior Stratocasters and Les Paul in terms of its sound and versatility. It costs more than the options above, and will set you back by around 300 bucks, but for a guitar of this quality, tonal abilities and sound, it is totally worth it!